Something More
by Gunso
Summary: Syaoran saved Tomoyo from freezing to death. Can he help her find happiness again, as well? COMPLETE! I'm thinking about revising this story to add more.
1. In the cold...

Hello, everyone! This is a revised version of this story. No major changes, just some modifications to make the story flow a little better. Anyway, this has no smut in it, but it does contain what I would think are adult situations (or reasonable facsimiles, hence the PG-13 rating). I hope all you guys like this one. Please review when you are done!  
  
-Type like this is a characters thoughts.-  
  
  
  
  
  
Something More  
  
Act I: In the Cold. . .  
  
  
  
Syaoran hated the cold. He looked out the window of his apartment, watching the flurry of snow that seemed to be burying the whole town. The weather forecasters had said this could easily be the worst blizzard this town had seen as far back as they were keeping records. He could believe it. If he didn't know better, he would have thought it the work of a Clow Card.  
  
He turned back to his dark room, lit only by candles and trickle of light from outside, and sipped his lukewarm tea. Sakura had been on the phone with him just before the power had gone out, asking if he had seen Tomoyo- chan. She sounded worried when he said that he hadn't. He was about to ask if there was something wrong when the line went dead. A fierce gust of wind outside made him shiver. The storm was getting worse.  
  
He took another sip of tea. Daidouji-san had not been herself for several months now. She never tried to follow them around with her camcorder anymore, and she usually declined invitations to go out with her friends. He had noticed that her smile wasn't the same anymore either. She always tried to put on a cheery face for everyone, but he could tell that something was wrong.  
  
He had met Daidouji Tomoyo almost eight years ago, and while annoying at times, she was always cheerful, and helpful, and loving to her friends. He sometimes regretted never trying to get to know her better than he had. She was the one who helped him to tell Sakura that he loved her, and she helped Sakura realize her feelings for him. Daidouji had done all this for them, and he still never called her by her first name like most of her other friends did.  
  
They had all been through so much together, and it pulled at his heart every time he saw her try to fake a happy face so others wouldn't worry. He had wanted to say something to her, but figured Sakura would be better at that sort of thing.  
  
He sighed a bit, and tasted his quickly cooling tea as he turned back to the window. The snow was building up on his balcony, and he could barely see the road in front of the apartment site. Then he blinked, and squinted as he peered out into the storm.  
  
There was someone trying to walk down the path to the building, but they looked like they were drunk, stumbling and falling when the wind gusted again. Maybe I should go check. . .he looked at the stumbling form again.  
  
"Daidouji?"  
  
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Syaoran ran into the snow toward his friend. She was having trouble standing up, and her movements seemed to be slow and muddled. The young sorcerer knew that she didn't drink (they had all promised that they would have their first drinks together, Sakura, Syaoran, and Tomoyo.), so there had to be something wrong with her.  
  
He had rushed out of his room in such haste, he had failed to put more than a light jacket over his everyday clothes, and he was more than ready to get back to the relative warmth of his apartment. He put one arm around her back and one under her legs. When he lifted her up, he tried to get back to his apartment as quickly as he could without killing himself on the ice patches that seemed to be everywhere.  
  
The door slammed as he kicked it shut behind him. -Ok, what do I do now?- Her clothes were wet from the accumulated snow and ice. -I need to get her dry before she catches pneumonia.- Syaoran set her down gently, resting against the foot of his bed. He could feel worry starting to build within him.  
  
She was unconscious, and her usually pale white skin was red everywhere he could see. Her face and hair were covered in frost, and her breathing seemed very shallow. Suddenly, a terrible thought struck him. -What if she has hypothermia? You can DIE from that!- He could feel panic creeping up on him. His mind raced back to a first aid class he had once. -The first thing you have to do is make sure they are dry, then slowly try to warm their body back to a normal temperature.-  
  
He brushed some of the ice off of her face. God, she was cold. -Alright, Syaoran, you know what you have to do. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. You're trying to save one of your best friends life here!-  
  
He picked her back up and took her into the bathroom. Setting her down, he gulped nervously, "Please forgive me, Tomoyo-san, but Sakura would kill me if I let something happen to you." He grimaced as he removed her coat, feeling bad about handling her in such a familiar way. -Shut up and DO IT! If you don't, she's not going to make it!-  
  
He took a deep breath and removed her shirt, then her pants. Quickly grabbing a towel, he tried not look as he dried her unconscious form. -I never realized just how beautiful she is.- He shook his head. -What the hell am I thinking? I love Sakura! I can't be thinking about Tomoyo like that!- But he found it very hard not to. He had never imagined in a million years that he would be drying a half-naked Tomoyo of all people.  
  
A blushing Syaoran picked up the dark haired girl and lay her on the bed. Running to the closet, he pulled out a sleeping bag and several blankets. Opening the large sleeping bag, he rolled her into it, and closed it. He then proceeded to throw every blanket he had on top of it. -Ok, now what?-  
  
She started to mumble something. Rushing over he put a hand on the side of her forehead, "Tomoyo? Can you hear me, Tomoyo?"  
  
Her eyes cracked, ".cold." Her voice was very weak and rasping.  
  
"Just hold on, you'll warm up in no time! No one hates the cold like I do, so you couldn't have come to a better place to warm up!" he said, trying to be comforting.  
  
He could barely see her crystal blue eyes, ". . .Syao. . .ran. . .help. . ." he was getting agitated, and she sounded scared. -What else can I do?- ". . .so. . .cold. . ." With that, her eyes closed.  
  
-Oh God. . .- He felt her neck, getting a very weak pulse, and he could only barely hear her breath. She wasn't even shivering anymore. Syaoran knew she couldn't wait long enough for her body to warm itself up. There was no heater because the electricity was out. The hot water heater was out, too. The only way for him to warm her was to do it himself. -Syaoran, she's alive, but she won't be for much longer if you don't get over yourself and help her!-  
  
He touched her forehead again, "I'm really sorry, but I'm not going to let you go like this." He stripped to his boxers, pulled back the blankets and unzipped the sleeping bag. -Here goes nothing. Sakura, Tomoyo, PLEASE forgive me for this.- He climbed in with her still body.  
  
-GOD. . .DAMN. . .you are so COLD!!!- He was already shivering before he zipped the bag up. He turned them around so the dark haired girl was laying on him, hoping that this would get the most heat to her. He rubbed her ice cold arms, then rubbed her back. He was having trouble controlling his own shivering. "You had better be alright, Tomoyo. You know how much I hate being cold!" He smiled a little at that, knowing that if she had heard it, she would have too.  
  
It hit him suddenly how serious this moment was. She could die, right here, in his arms. He was doing something that he would have done for almost no other person besides his Sakura.  
  
Syaoran was tiring from rubbing her arms and back so furiously. His whole body was aching from all the shivering he was doing, and still she still wasn't moving, not even a tremble. He was trying desperately not to think about how hopeless this seemed.  
  
Laying in this near panic state for what seemed like forever, he continued to listen to her breathing to make sure she was still there. His hope that everything would be alright was fading with his strength.  
  
-What was that?- He stopped for a minute before he felt it again. She was weakly shaking. Rubbing her back again with renewed strength, he spoke into her ear as it rested, listless, on his chest, "Come on, Tomoyo! You have to make it! Don't leave like this! You can make it!"  
  
Her shivering was becoming more apparent, his fear beginning to give way to an anxious hope. -You can make it. Just a little more!-  
  
"Syao. . .ran. . .?"  
  
"I'm here, you're going to be fine, Tomoyo-chan."  
  
She seemed to sigh a little as she relaxed again. She was still cold, but much warmer than before. -She should be fine now. . .- Syaoran sighed in relief before he tried to roll back around to get out of the sleeping bag they were both occupying. "Eh. . .?" She was holding onto him. He tried to gently pull himself free, but to no avail.  
  
-I don't want to wake her up. . .well, I suppose she does need to warm up some more.-  
  
Syaoran sighed as he relaxed. He was still cold, but he was too tired to care. He gently brushed the dark hair away from the sleeping girl's face. "What were you doing out in a snowstorm like this, Tomoyo?" he whispered. With that thought, Syaoran lost his battle with exhaustion and fell into sleep.  
  
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I hope you all like this story. The second half is waiting for your viewing pleasure. Please read on, and send back a review when you are done! 


	2. In the warmth...

Something More  
  
Act II: In the Warmth. . .  
  
Tomoyo pulled one of the many blankets around her as she walked to Syaoran- kun's window. She could feel worry in the pit of her stomach, like a ball of cold lead. She was afraid everything was going to come out tonight. Everything was going to be out in the open because of this, and she didn't know how everyone would react to it.  
  
The electricity was still out. The only light in the room was from the few candles around the apartment. The storm hadn't let up any either. She knew it was a miracle that Syaoran-kun had seen her through the wall of snow.  
  
Still, somehow he had, and come out there in the icy cold to bring her in. Tomoyo wasn't sure exactly what happened after she fell in the snow in front of his apartment, her memory faded out after she started up the walkway to his building. All she knew was that she woke up in his arms, in his bed, with very little clothing on either of them. Tomoyo blushed when she thought of it. She had wanted to stay like that, for as long as she could. In his arms. Imagining that he was embracing her out of love.  
  
She looked back at the sleeping form of Li Syaoran. His features seemed softer in the warm glow of the candlelight, and he looked so happy and comfortable under the pile of blankets. Tomoyo allowed herself a grin at how boyish he looked right then. The smile quickly faded, however.  
  
When he awoke, that boyish look would fade into the stern face that he always wore. Syaoran would ask her what she was doing out in this storm. What could she tell him? That the storm just sprang from nowhere and caught her out in the open? He would never buy that. The young sorcerer would realize that something was wrong with her, and after that it would only be a matter of time before he found out the truth.  
  
Not to mention the part about them sleeping together, half naked. Even if it was to save Tomoyo's life, it would only serve to make things more uncomfortable. Syaoran might even try to avoid her from now on. She didn't know if she would be able to deal with that.  
  
Sakura, what if she found out about this? What if Sakura took it badly? What if their relationship was ruined from this? Tomoyo knew she would die if she lost her friendship with Sakura-chan.  
  
The dark haired girl shook her head and took a deep breath. -Think about this clearly. If you do this right, neither one will suspect a thing. This is bad, but you can fix this.-  
  
Wrapping the blanket tighter around herself against the cold air in Syaoran's apartment, Tomoyo stepped into the even colder bathroom. Feeling her still wet clothes, she knew it would be well into the next day before she could leave his apartment. Hanging her head, she slowly moved out of the bathroom, wondering how she would explain things to Syaoran-kun.  
  
"AHHHH!!!!" SWISH!  
  
Tomoyo felt like she had just had a heart attack. Looking at Syaoran-kun standing there, she thought that he might really have had one. He had quickly yanked a blanket off the nearby bed to cover his boxers. She thought that his face had gone red, but it was hard to tell in the darkness. His eyes, wide open in shock, were fixed on her.  
  
They stood like this for a moment, in awkward silence, neither one knowing what they should say or do. Finally, Tomoyo decided she would make the first move.  
  
"I am sorry, Li-kun," she said bowing her head, "I didn't mean to cause you so much trouble."  
  
He took a deep breath, "No, I just forgot you were here. I must have fallen asleep. . ."  
  
"That's not what I meant," Tomoyo responded quickly, "I mean, I am sorry for that, but I meant for what you did before, for saving me." She could feel her cheeks get hot.  
  
He seemed to get a little nervous, "Well, I just needed to get you warm. You were really cold when I got you up here. You must have been out there for a while." A thought seemed to strike him suddenly, "So what were you doing out in a storm like that? You could have died if no one had found you."  
  
"Well, I. . .ummm. . ." she looked down as she nervously shuffled her bare feet on the carpet, "I had gone out to think, out walking I mean, and I lost track of time, and then the storm, and I was near here, so I tried to make it to your place, but I fell on the sidewalk, and you helped me. . ." She knew her face must have been bright red by now. Despite the heat in her cheeks, she shivered slightly from the cold air in the room.  
  
His face changed to one of concern, "You should sit down and rest," he motioned to the bed, "let me put some clothes on and I'll make you some tea." Tomoyo nodded and sat on the bad. He grabbed some jeans and a green sweater and went into the bathroom (blanket still wrapped around him).  
  
Moments later he came back out with his clothes on, dropping the blanket on the bed, and walked into the small kitchen. Tomoyo could hear him chanting quietly from around the corner, and she could recognize some of the lines as the incantations that he used to summon his fire magic. Soon after he came back out with a steaming cup, which he handed to her.  
  
Thanking him, she took a small sip of the hot liquid, which turned out to be black tea. As she nursed her drink, he placed another blanket over her bare shoulders. She smiled in thanks. Syaoran just blushed in return, sitting on the bed next to her.  
  
"Didn't you make some for yourself?" she asked the young sorcerer.  
  
"No, that's the last of my tea." She looked at him quizzically. "It's been so cold recently, I haven't been able to bring myself to go out into that mess to buy more. You know how much I hate the cold."  
  
"Here," she held out her cup to him. Now it was his turn to wear a puzzled look. "You must have been very cold after you saved me. You should at least have some of this."  
  
"You were the one who was frozen stiff out there, you need it more than I do," he responded.  
  
"Please," she urged him again, "I don't want to trouble you too much. It will make me feel better. You shouldn't catch a cold because of me."  
  
He let a small smile creep onto his face. He slowly reached over and took the cup from her hands. For a brief second, she felt his warm fingers brush gently across hers. Though she didn't show it, she felt like her heart was going to jump out of her chest.  
  
She smiled as Syaoran took a sip of the hot tea he had made for her. Tomoyo knew very well how much he hated the cold. She remembered all the times they went skiing or ice skating, he would always wear twice as much as everyone else, and drink twice as much hot chocolate.  
  
He held his breath for a second after his sip, then exhaled contentedly. He had the same look that he had before, when he was curled up under his blankets and asleep. -So adorable. . .-  
  
He was looking at her. She quickly turned to the floor, her whole face ablaze. Syaoran-kun had noticed her staring at him with that schoolgirl crush look she always used to get around Sakura-chan. -What next?! What else can I mess up?-  
  
"Daidouji-san?" he seemed to hesitate as he spoke.  
  
Tomoyo murmured an acknowledgement.  
  
"You haven't been acting like yourself lately. Sakura-chan has been a little worried about you," he hesitated again, "and I've been a little worried, too."  
  
She turned her head away from him, "I can't tell Sakura-chan about it," she said quietly.  
  
"If there is something wrong, you know you can tell us," his voice held a level of concern he rarely showed for anything, "If you can't tell Sakura- chan, then you can tell me. I'll try to help if I can. We have known each other for years, you can trust me with whatever it is."  
  
She turned to face Syaoran, surprising him with the tears forming in her eyes. "I. . .I can't . . ." her voice was shaky, and her bottom lip trembled as she spoke, "I can't tell you or Sakura-chan! Especially not Sakura-chan! Please, promise me you won't tell Sakura-chan anything about tonight!"  
  
He looked surprised and worried, "If that's what you want, I promise. But why can't you tell us? You can't go on like this. The next time you go out for a 'walk', I may not find you in time! If you can trust me with keeping that a secret, why can't you trust me with whatever is bothering you?"  
  
Tomoyo closed her eyes tightly, forcing the tears down her pale cheeks. "I. . .I can't!!!!" She tried to get up to walk to the window, but her feet were tangled in the blankets. She wavered for a moment, fighting to stand up and still hold the blanket that covered her, then started to fall.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan!"  
  
She felt a strong arm around her, and she felt herself lifted back upright. She opened her eyes through the tears to see him holding onto her, with a look she had never seen on his face. She knew that she had lost the blanket in her pathetic attempt to escape his questions. She was standing before him, wearing nothing but her lavender undergarments.  
  
The dark haired girl began shaking all over and she fell against his chest, sobbing uncontrollably. Years of holding herself in check, of hiding her feelings behind a mask, all of that trapped emotion was rushing out of control. She didn't worry that she was making a fool of herself, didn't notice the cold air around her, she didn't even care that she was half naked in front Syaoran.  
  
All she could think about was that he called her by her first name. After years of thinking that he saw her as nothing more than an acquaintance, she finally knew that he really did care for her, even if it wasn't the way she had wished for all this time. She could feel his arms around her, supporting her weight, and his hand trying to smooth her dark hair. -If only. . .if only it was more. . .-  
  
"Syaoran-kun. . .I," she said shakily, "I. . ."  
  
The young sorcerer pulled her back enough for her to look at him. "Whatever it is, Tomoyo-chan, you can tell me," he said gently. She looked up and saw a warm expression. Her tears streamed down her delicate cheek.  
  
"I love you, Syaoran-kun!"  
  
She couldn't see his expression through her own tears. He was silent for a few terrifying moments. -Why did I say that? I've just lost the two most important people in my life!- Her crying returned with a vengeance, and she crumpled into Syaoran's chest again. Even though he was right there, she felt as though she was alone.  
  
She felt his arms tighten around her, and though she noticed, she couldn't bring herself to stop crying for long enough to wonder why.  
  
Tomoyo didn't know how many minutes passed like this before she pulled back, but she knew that it must have been a while, judging from the wet spot on Syaoran's sweater. She tried to turn away, wanting to go hide somewhere, to see if her clothes were dry yet, anything, but he held her shoulders firmly. The best she could do was to look at the carpet under her toes.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan," he started slowly, "we have been through a lot together. You have supported me more times than even you probably realize. You are a caring, helpful, thoughtful, selfless, and joyful blessing to everyone you meet."  
  
His hand touched her chin, urging her to look up at him, "Everybody you talk to walks away happier, and everyone who hears your songs is entranced. If I had never known you, there is no telling how different a person I would be right now. You are an irreplaceable part of my life."  
  
Tomoyo felt his lips tenderly press just above her nose. "I love you, too, Tomoyo-chan," Syaoran spoke so that she barely heard him, but she could see in his face that there was more to it than that, and she knew what it was.  
  
"But," she continued for him, "You still love Sakura-chan the most."  
  
He nodded. "You understand. I think you probably knew before, too," he was being as gentle as she had ever seen him. His fingers brushed tears away from her somewhat reddened face.  
  
She was beginning to regain her composure to some extent, "I'm sorry about this, I should have kept all that to myself. It's just that it was so difficult when I saw you and Sakura-chan together. I just couldn't keep it inside anymore."  
  
He reached down and picked up a blanket, which he quickly wrapped around her. "Once, several years ago, someone told me that whatever your thoughts might be, if you don't tell someone, no one will know. She asked if even though I was keeping my thoughts to myself, was I OK with that?" He led her over to the bed, where he had her lay down under the blankets that were piled up there. After he had tucked her in he walked across the room to blow out one of the candles. He then picked up the other one lighting the room, and returned to the side of the bed.  
  
"You get some sleep, and I'll let you borrow some clothes in the morning." She smiled at him. A real smile. The kind of smile she didn't get to show very much anymore, but she knew she would get to show more often from now on. "Goodnight, Tomoyo-chan" he blew the candle out and returned to the balcony window, staring out at the night.  
  
"Goodnight, Syaoran-kun."  
  
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Not much difference from the original version of the story, but hopefully it made the story read a little more smoothly. If any of you have issues or are confused about something, let me know in the review and I will try to make any changes necessary to improve this story.  
  
Overall, I am pleased with how this turned out. Though I haven't posted very many stories on ff.net, this is one of my favorites of all the things I have ever written. I hope I managed to convey a believable story about the neglected relationship between S+T.  
  
Please review! I beg you! Even if all you write is "good" or "improve" or something. I do enjoy seeing a more in depth review, but it makes me feel happy to know that you guys are reading. So please!!! Review!  
  
Thanks for reading! Boogiepop 


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